Peter T. King
Encyclopedia
Peter T. "Pete" King is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party
. King's central Long Island
district includes parts of Nassau
and Suffolk
counties.
King serves as the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and drew attention in early 2011 for holding hearings on the extent of radicalization of Muslim Americans. He also sits on the Financial Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
and raised in Sunnyside, Queens
, New York. His family has Irish roots that trace back to County Galway
and County Limerick
. His father, Peter King, was a New York City police officer.
King graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn
in 1965 and earned his Juris Doctor
(J.D.
) from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1968. He then worked for the Nassau County District Attorney
’s Office until 1974.
King served in the 69th Infantry Regiment
of the New York National Guard from 1968 until he was honorably discharged in 1974.
Republican Party machine led by Joseph Margiotta
.
In 1981, he successfully ran for Nassau County Comptroller again with Margiotta's support. The next year, when several prominent Republican politicians, led by then Senator Alfonse D'Amato, sought to displace Margiotta, King joined them in this internal Republican dispute; at one point, he was the only Nassau politician to do so. King was re-elected in 1985 and 1989. As Comptroller, he displayed independence, often criticizing the budget proposals of County Executives Francis Purcell and later County Executive Thomas Gulotta
, both Republicans.
During the 1990's King enjoyed a close relationship with the Muslim community in his congressional district. King often gave speeches at the Westbury Islamic Center, held book signings in the prayer hall, took in Muslim interns, and was one of the few Republicans who supported U.S. intervention in the 1990s to help Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo
. The Muslim community thanked King for his work by making him the guest of honor for the 1993 opening of a $3 million prayer hall. For years, a picture of King cutting the ceremonial ribbon hung on the bulletin board by the mosque's entrance.
.
On May 27, 2010, the House of Representatives moved to vote to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell
; King voted against the repeal of this policy.
King has been a vocal opponent of illegal immigration
. He opposed John McCain
's 2007 effort to enact a path to citizenship for current illegal immigrants.
Although he supported John McCain for president in 2000 and despite his earlier disagreements with George W. Bush
, King later became a Bush supporter. He supported the Iraq War from 2002 on. King also opposed McCain's calls for an end to torture
methods used during terrorist suspect interrogations. The New York Times
wrote in 2006 that King had been "the Patriot Act's most fervent fan." In 2008, he told the Times, "Look, we have not been attacked in seven years and it's not because of luck."
King has opposed President Barack Obama
's executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Since 2009 King has argued against holding terrorist trials in New York City saying that enormous security risks and financial costs would accompany the public trials. In April 2011, he called for Attorney General
Eric Holder
to resign due to Holder's plans to transfer Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other alleged co-conspirators in the September 11, 2001 attacks from Guantanamo to New York City for trials in U.S. federal court. King denounced Holder's plan "as the most irresponsible decision ever made by any attorney general." Holder had recently backed off, announcing that the trials would be held in a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
.
King continued to challenge Holder in April 2011, demanding to know why the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), its co-founder Omar Ahmad
, the Islamic Society of North America, the North American Islamic Trust. and other unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial, were not being prosecuted by the United States Department of Justice
. In a letter to Holder, King wrote he had recently learned that the decision had been made by high-ranking Justice Department officials "over the vehement and stated objections of special agents and supervisors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
, as well as the prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas", adding that "there should be full transparency into the Department’s decision." Holder responded that the decision not to prosecute had been made during the Bush administration. The U.S. Attorney in Dallas said he alone had been responsible for the decision, which had been made based on an analysis of the law and the evidence, with no political pressure involved.
In December 2009, King commented on reports that accused attempted airline bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
, had admitted to being trained and equipped in Yemen and on then pending plans to release several Guantanamo prisoners to Yemen: "I don't think Guantanamo should be closed, but if we're going to close it I don't believe we should be sending people to Yemen where prisoners have managed to escape in the past .... Obviously, if [Abdulmutallab] did get training and direction from Yemen, it just adds to what is already a dangerous situation", he said.|
King criticized the activities of WikiLeaks
and in December 2010 suggested that the group be designated a "terrorist organization" and treated as such by U.S. agencies.
King praised Obama's nominations of Leon Panetta
for United States Secretary of Defense
and General David Petraeus
for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
saying, "Director Panetta has done an outstanding job at the CIA, and General Petraeus has distinguished himself as one of the great American military leaders. Both men ... will be instrumental as we continue to combat the terrorist threat.”
in the 1980s, and frequently traveled to Northern Ireland
to meet with senior members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
, many of whom he counted as friends.
King compared Sinn Féin
leader Gerry Adams
to George Washington
and asserted that the "British government is a murder machine", but he did not meet Gerry Adams until 1984, four years after his open support for the IRA began.
He became involved with NORAID
, an organization that the British, Irish and U.S. governments had accused of financing IRA activities and providing them with weapons. Regarding the 30 years of violence during which the IRA killed over 1,700 people, including over 600 civilians, King said, "If civilians are killed in an attack on a military installation, it is certainly regrettable, but I will not morally blame the IRA for it". He also called the IRA "the legitimate voice of occupied Ireland
."
Speaking at a pro-IRA
rally in 1982 in Nassau County, New York
, King pledged support to "those brave men and women who this very moment are carrying forth the struggle against British imperialism in the streets of Belfast
and Derry
." In 1985, as Grand Marshall of New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade, he again offered words of support for the IRA.
A Northern Irish judge ejected King from his courtroom, describing King as "an obvious collaborator with the IRA". Although some organizations reported that King was banned from appearing on British TV for his pro-IRA views and refusing to condemn IRA activity, he was merely not interviewed.
In 1993, King lobbied for Gerry Adams to be a guest at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton
. In 2000, he called then-presidential candidate George W. Bush
a tool of "anti-Catholic bigoted forces," after Bush visited Bob Jones University
in South Carolina
, described by King as "an institution that is notorious in Ireland for awarding an honorary doctorate to Northern Ireland's tempestuous Protestant leader, Ian Paisley
."
King stopped supporting the IRA after being offended by Irish public opposition to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, but in 2008, King spoke in favor of bail for a fugitive IRA member, Pól Brennan, who had escaped from prison in the UK 15 years earlier during the Maze Prison escape
, and who had been apprehended in Texas.
King has said that the IRA used British torture as a recruiting tool, but that it has no parallels with American treatment of suspects after 9/11.
talk radio
host Sean Hannity
that "no American Muslim
leaders are cooperating in the war on terror
," and that "80-85 percent of mosque
s in this country are controlled by Islamic fundamentalists
.... This is an enemy living amongst us." The Council on American-Islamic Relations
denounced the comments as "Islamophobic bigotry" and Democratic National Committee
chairman Terry McAuliffe
called on President George W. Bush
to "condemn this latest example of hate-filled language." In a September 2007 interview with the website Politico.com, King said that "There are too many mosques in this country... There are too many people sympathetic to radical Islam
. We should be looking at them more carefully and finding out how we can infiltrate them." King later said he meant to say that too many mosques in the United States do not cooperate with law enforcement.
of American Muslims. While allowing that, "The overwhelming majority of Muslims are outstanding citizens," he also claimed that some Islamic clerics were telling their congregations to ignore extremism and to refrain from helping investigators. King cited Justice Department
statistics showing that over the previous two years, 50 U.S. citizens had been charged with major acts of terrorism, and all were motivated by radical Islamic ideologies.
The first hearing, held on March 10, 2011, was entitled "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response." The hearing included testimony from Representative John D. Dingell of Michigan
, Representative Keith Ellison
of Minnesota
, who is one of two Muslims in the U.S. Congress, Representative Frank Wolf of Virginia
, and Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca
. Others to provide testimony included Dr. M Zuhdi Jasser
, a Muslim and Founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy
; Melvin Bledsoe, whose son, a Muslim convert, is serving a life sentence for killing one Army soldier and wounding another in the 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
; and Abdirizak Bihi, the Director of the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center. The Council on American Islamic Relations submitted a statement to the committee.
In an article for the National Review
, King announced that his second and third Homeland Security Committee hearings on radicalization
would focus on foreign money coming into American mosques and al Shabab’s efforts to recruit young Muslims men in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. The second hearing was set for mid-May while the third was tentatively scheduled for July. King also said that he will continue to hold radicalization hearings as long as he is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
, the ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, responded by saying that "none of these [law enforcement and intelligence] officials have backed King’s assertions that the Muslim community has not been helpful in thwarting terrorist attacks." Thompson also wrote King demanding that the scope of the hearings be widened to include all extremist groups in the United States, irrespective of ideology. Los Angeles County sheriff
Lee Baca said that there was nothing to support King's claims of non-cooperation by American Muslims. Baca invited King to Los Angeles to show the cooperation between Muslim-Americans and law enforcement.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council
(MPAC) in a letter to King claimed that his call was sweeping and misguided, and called for a meeting with him to discuss his initiatives, the proposed hearings, and the efforts of the Muslim American community in fighting radicalization.
The Council on American Islamic Relations joined 50 other organizations, including Amnesty International
, the Sikh Coalition
, the Japanese American Citizens League
and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in signing a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner
and Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi
comparing the hearings to those held by Senator Joe McCarthy in the 1950s and calling them "divisive and wrong", and "an affront to fundamental [American] freedoms"
Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel for the conservative religious organization American Center for Law and Justice
(ACLJ), which opposed the building of the Park 51 mosque, declared his support for King and the hearings, and remarked "This hearing isn’t about profiling
— it’s about protecting our homeland."
Frank Gaffney
, Founder and President of the American Center for Security Policy, praised King for holding a hearing "about an issue that has long been deemed politically untouchable", and opined that King had indeed shown there is "a problem of 'extremism' within the American Muslim community."
Several members of Congress, including Republican Representatives Mike Rogers
of Alabama
and Joe Walsh
of Illinois
, wrote letters showing their support for King's hearings. Rogers wrote that radicalization could happen anywhere in the United States, and thus it is an issue all Americans have to deal with. Walsh added, “Homegrown terrorists are the number one threat facing American families right now, and it would be irresponsible and negligent not to try and identify the causes of their radicalization.”
of Michael Jackson
, King made a video statement chiding the media for its coverage of Jackson's death:
Due to the high-profile nature of Jackson's death, King's statement generated national media coverage. In reaction to the controversy, King said, "I believe I'm articulating the views of a great majority of the American people".
Comments about the Occupy Wall Street
On October 7, 2011:
are:
ran instead. While many pundits and Long Island’s local newspaper, Newsday
, believed this race would be close due to dissatisfaction with Bush, King defeated Mejias 56 to 44%. King again sought re-election to Congress in 2008. The Democrats fielded 25-year-old newcomer Graham Long in a long-shot bid to defeat King. King won the 2008 election with 64% of the vote.
In the 2008 presidential election, King encouraged candidate John McCain
to bring up the subject of William Ayers and Ayers' association with Barack Obama
.
in 2010, King announced that he was seriously thinking of running for the U.S. Senate in a special election for the last two years of the term won in 2006 by Hillary Clinton, who had since been appointed Secretary of State
. King had contemplated running for Senate in 2000 against Hillary Clinton, and even created an exploratory committee in 2003 to challenge Chuck Schumer. Both times he ended up deciding against them. King said there would be no primary with former New York City
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
, as the latter would instead opt to throw his support behind King and possibly explore a gubernatorial bid.
When Kirsten Gillibrand
, the Congresswoman representing New York's 20th congressional district
in the House
, was appointed to fill the seat until the special election by Governor David Paterson
, King said he would consider holding off on making a run for the seat: "If he appointed Caroline Kennedy
, I was ready to file papers right away because she’s a superstar and you can’t let her build a head of steam – and she was totally unqualified in my perspective. With Kirsten, she’s entitled to be given an opportunity to build a record for the state." However, two days after the Gillibrand pick, King demanded Paterson justify his selection of the congresswoman, saying there were more qualified candidates. In August 2009, King ruled out a senate run; however, in January 2010, he said he was reconsidering a run.
with his wife, Rosemary King, with whom he has two adult children and one grandson. King has two siblings, Kevin and Barbara. He is an author of three novels that are loosely based on his years in Congress: Terrible Beauty, Deliver Us From Evil, and Vale of Tears.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. King's central Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
district includes parts of Nassau
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
and Suffolk
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
counties.
King serves as the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and drew attention in early 2011 for holding hearings on the extent of radicalization of Muslim Americans. He also sits on the Financial Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Early life, education, and career
King was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and raised in Sunnyside, Queens
Sunnyside, Queens
Sunnyside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens, in New York state, in the United States. It shares borders with Hunters Point and Long Island City to the west, Astoria to the north, Woodside to the east and Maspeth to the south...
, New York. His family has Irish roots that trace back to County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
and County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
. His father, Peter King, was a New York City police officer.
King graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in 1965 and earned his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
) from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1968. He then worked for the Nassau County District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
’s Office until 1974.
King served in the 69th Infantry Regiment
69th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 69th Infantry Regiment was a Regular Army infantry regiment in the United States Army.-History:There have been three different lineages started under this number: The Famous 69th Infantry Regiment , and two under the Federal designation....
of the New York National Guard from 1968 until he was honorably discharged in 1974.
Early political career
King first sought public office in 1977, running for an at-large seat on the Hempstead, New York Town Council and winning with the backing of the then-powerful Nassau CountyNassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
Republican Party machine led by Joseph Margiotta
Joseph Margiotta
Joseph M. Margiotta was an American political boss who ran the Nassau County, New York Republican Party, considered "one of the most powerful political organizations in New York State",until his 1983 convictions on federal charges.Margiotta represented Uniondale in the New York State Assembly from...
.
In 1981, he successfully ran for Nassau County Comptroller again with Margiotta's support. The next year, when several prominent Republican politicians, led by then Senator Alfonse D'Amato, sought to displace Margiotta, King joined them in this internal Republican dispute; at one point, he was the only Nassau politician to do so. King was re-elected in 1985 and 1989. As Comptroller, he displayed independence, often criticizing the budget proposals of County Executives Francis Purcell and later County Executive Thomas Gulotta
Thomas Gulotta
Thomas Stephen Gulotta is a Republican politician from Nassau County, New York who was the county executive of Nassau from 1987 to 2001.-Early life:...
, both Republicans.
During the 1990's King enjoyed a close relationship with the Muslim community in his congressional district. King often gave speeches at the Westbury Islamic Center, held book signings in the prayer hall, took in Muslim interns, and was one of the few Republicans who supported U.S. intervention in the 1990s to help Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. The Muslim community thanked King for his work by making him the guest of honor for the 1993 opening of a $3 million prayer hall. For years, a picture of King cutting the ceremonial ribbon hung on the bulletin board by the mosque's entrance.
Political positions
King voted for the 2008 Wall Street bailout He opposed the 2009 economic stimulus package and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. He supports congressional earmarksEarmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
.
On May 27, 2010, the House of Representatives moved to vote to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
; King voted against the repeal of this policy.
King has been a vocal opponent of illegal immigration
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
. He opposed John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
's 2007 effort to enact a path to citizenship for current illegal immigrants.
Although he supported John McCain for president in 2000 and despite his earlier disagreements with George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, King later became a Bush supporter. He supported the Iraq War from 2002 on. King also opposed McCain's calls for an end to torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
methods used during terrorist suspect interrogations. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote in 2006 that King had been "the Patriot Act's most fervent fan." In 2008, he told the Times, "Look, we have not been attacked in seven years and it's not because of luck."
King has opposed President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Since 2009 King has argued against holding terrorist trials in New York City saying that enormous security risks and financial costs would accompany the public trials. In April 2011, he called for Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Eric Holder
Eric Holder
Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. is the 82nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first African American to hold the position, serving under President Barack Obama....
to resign due to Holder's plans to transfer Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other alleged co-conspirators in the September 11, 2001 attacks from Guantanamo to New York City for trials in U.S. federal court. King denounced Holder's plan "as the most irresponsible decision ever made by any attorney general." Holder had recently backed off, announcing that the trials would be held in a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
.
King continued to challenge Holder in April 2011, demanding to know why the Council on American-Islamic Relations
Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
(CAIR), its co-founder Omar Ahmad
Omar Ahmad
Omar Ahmad is the co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations , a Washington D.C.-based Muslim civil rights organization.He had been the chairman of CAIR's board of directors since its founding in 1994, but stepped down from that position in May 2005...
, the Islamic Society of North America, the North American Islamic Trust. and other unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial, were not being prosecuted by the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
. In a letter to Holder, King wrote he had recently learned that the decision had been made by high-ranking Justice Department officials "over the vehement and stated objections of special agents and supervisors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
, as well as the prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas", adding that "there should be full transparency into the Department’s decision." Holder responded that the decision not to prosecute had been made during the Bush administration. The U.S. Attorney in Dallas said he alone had been responsible for the decision, which had been made based on an analysis of the law and the evidence, with no political pressure involved.
In December 2009, King commented on reports that accused attempted airline bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber", is a suspected terrorist who attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on December 25,...
, had admitted to being trained and equipped in Yemen and on then pending plans to release several Guantanamo prisoners to Yemen: "I don't think Guantanamo should be closed, but if we're going to close it I don't believe we should be sending people to Yemen where prisoners have managed to escape in the past .... Obviously, if [Abdulmutallab] did get training and direction from Yemen, it just adds to what is already a dangerous situation", he said.|
King criticized the activities of WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
and in December 2010 suggested that the group be designated a "terrorist organization" and treated as such by U.S. agencies.
King praised Obama's nominations of Leon Panetta
Leon Panetta
Leon Edward Panetta is the 23rd and current United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama since 2011. Prior to taking office, he served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency...
for United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
and General David Petraeus
David Petraeus
David Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
saying, "Director Panetta has done an outstanding job at the CIA, and General Petraeus has distinguished himself as one of the great American military leaders. Both men ... will be instrumental as we continue to combat the terrorist threat.”
Support for the IRA
King actively supported the Irish republican movementRepublican Movement (Ireland)
The Republican Movement is a collective term used to describe the Irish Republican Army and other political, social and paramilitary organisations associated with it.The term is not restricted to any one movement and can include:...
in the 1980s, and frequently traveled to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to meet with senior members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
, many of whom he counted as friends.
King compared Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
leader Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
to George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and asserted that the "British government is a murder machine", but he did not meet Gerry Adams until 1984, four years after his open support for the IRA began.
He became involved with NORAID
NORAID
Noraid or the Irish Northern Aid Committee is an Irish American fund raising organization founded after the start of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1969...
, an organization that the British, Irish and U.S. governments had accused of financing IRA activities and providing them with weapons. Regarding the 30 years of violence during which the IRA killed over 1,700 people, including over 600 civilians, King said, "If civilians are killed in an attack on a military installation, it is certainly regrettable, but I will not morally blame the IRA for it". He also called the IRA "the legitimate voice of occupied Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
."
Speaking at a pro-IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
rally in 1982 in Nassau County, New York
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
, King pledged support to "those brave men and women who this very moment are carrying forth the struggle against British imperialism in the streets of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
." In 1985, as Grand Marshall of New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade, he again offered words of support for the IRA.
A Northern Irish judge ejected King from his courtroom, describing King as "an obvious collaborator with the IRA". Although some organizations reported that King was banned from appearing on British TV for his pro-IRA views and refusing to condemn IRA activity, he was merely not interviewed.
In 1993, King lobbied for Gerry Adams to be a guest at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. In 2000, he called then-presidential candidate George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
a tool of "anti-Catholic bigoted forces," after Bush visited Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University is a private, for-profit, non-denominational Protestant university in Greenville, South Carolina.The university was founded in 1927 by Bob Jones, Sr. , an evangelist and contemporary of Billy Sunday...
in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, described by King as "an institution that is notorious in Ireland for awarding an honorary doctorate to Northern Ireland's tempestuous Protestant leader, Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
."
King stopped supporting the IRA after being offended by Irish public opposition to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, but in 2008, King spoke in favor of bail for a fugitive IRA member, Pól Brennan, who had escaped from prison in the UK 15 years earlier during the Maze Prison escape
Maze Prison escape
The Maze Prison escape took place on 25 September 1983 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. HM Prison Maze was a maximum security prison considered to be one of the most escape-proof prisons in Europe, and held prisoners convicted of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles...
, and who had been apprehended in Texas.
King has said that the IRA used British torture as a recruiting tool, but that it has no parallels with American treatment of suspects after 9/11.
Comments about American mosques
In 2004, King claimed in an interview with conservativeConservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
that "no American Muslim
Islam in the United States
From the 1880s to 1914, several thousand Muslims immigrated to the United States from the Ottoman Empire, and from parts of South Asia; they did not form distinctive settlements, and probably most assimilated into the wider society....
leaders are cooperating in the war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
," and that "80-85 percent of mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s in this country are controlled by Islamic fundamentalists
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
.... This is an enemy living amongst us." The Council on American-Islamic Relations
Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
denounced the comments as "Islamophobic bigotry" and Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
chairman Terry McAuliffe
Terry McAuliffe
Terence Richard "Terry" McAuliffe is a longtime leader and political advisor for the United States Democratic Party. He served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005. He served as Co-Chairman of President William Jefferson Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign and also...
called on President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to "condemn this latest example of hate-filled language." In a September 2007 interview with the website Politico.com, King said that "There are too many mosques in this country... There are too many people sympathetic to radical Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. We should be looking at them more carefully and finding out how we can infiltrate them." King later said he meant to say that too many mosques in the United States do not cooperate with law enforcement.
Radicalization hearings
In December 2010, King announced that when he became chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee he would hold hearings on the radicalizationRadicalization
Radicalization is the process in which an individual changes from passiveness or activism to become more revolutionary, militant or extremist. Radicalization is often associated with youth, adversity, alienation, social exclusion, poverty, or the perception of injustice to self or others.-...
of American Muslims. While allowing that, "The overwhelming majority of Muslims are outstanding citizens," he also claimed that some Islamic clerics were telling their congregations to ignore extremism and to refrain from helping investigators. King cited Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
statistics showing that over the previous two years, 50 U.S. citizens had been charged with major acts of terrorism, and all were motivated by radical Islamic ideologies.
The first hearing, held on March 10, 2011, was entitled "The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response." The hearing included testimony from Representative John D. Dingell of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Representative Keith Ellison
Keith Ellison (politician)
Keith Maurice Ellison is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The district centers on Minneapolis. He was re-elected in 2010. Ellison is a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.He is the first Muslim to be elected to the...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, who is one of two Muslims in the U.S. Congress, Representative Frank Wolf of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca
Lee Baca
Leroy David "Lee" Baca is the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California. Baca holds a Doctorate of Public Administration from the University of Southern California....
. Others to provide testimony included Dr. M Zuhdi Jasser
Zuhdi Jasser
Zuhdi Jasser, also known as M. Zuhdi Jasser, and Mohamed Zuhdi Jasser, is a medical doctor specializing internal medicine and nuclear cardiology in Phoenix, AZ. Jasser is a former Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy where he served as staff internist in the Office of the Attending...
, a Muslim and Founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy
American Islamic Forum for Democracy
American Islamic Forum for Democracy is a Muslim American think tank formed in March 2003 by a small group of Muslim professionals in the Phoenix Valley of Arizona. The group's founder is M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D...
; Melvin Bledsoe, whose son, a Muslim convert, is serving a life sentence for killing one Army soldier and wounding another in the 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
The 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting took place on June 1, 2009, when Muslim convert Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, aka Carlos Leon Bledsoe, opened fire with a rifle in a drive-by shooting on soldiers in front of a United States military recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a...
; and Abdirizak Bihi, the Director of the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center. The Council on American Islamic Relations submitted a statement to the committee.
In an article for the National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, King announced that his second and third Homeland Security Committee hearings on radicalization
Radicalization
Radicalization is the process in which an individual changes from passiveness or activism to become more revolutionary, militant or extremist. Radicalization is often associated with youth, adversity, alienation, social exclusion, poverty, or the perception of injustice to self or others.-...
would focus on foreign money coming into American mosques and al Shabab’s efforts to recruit young Muslims men in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. The second hearing was set for mid-May while the third was tentatively scheduled for July. King also said that he will continue to hold radicalization hearings as long as he is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Reactions
Bennie ThompsonBennie Thompson
Bennie G. Thompson, is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993, and the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security since 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, the ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, responded by saying that "none of these [law enforcement and intelligence] officials have backed King’s assertions that the Muslim community has not been helpful in thwarting terrorist attacks." Thompson also wrote King demanding that the scope of the hearings be widened to include all extremist groups in the United States, irrespective of ideology. Los Angeles County sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Lee Baca said that there was nothing to support King's claims of non-cooperation by American Muslims. Baca invited King to Los Angeles to show the cooperation between Muslim-Americans and law enforcement.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council
Muslim Public Affairs Council
The Muslim Public Affairs Council is a national American Muslim advocacy and public policy organization headquartered in Los Angeles and with offices in Washington D.C...
(MPAC) in a letter to King claimed that his call was sweeping and misguided, and called for a meeting with him to discuss his initiatives, the proposed hearings, and the efforts of the Muslim American community in fighting radicalization.
The Council on American Islamic Relations joined 50 other organizations, including Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, the Sikh Coalition
Sikh Coalition
The Sikh Coalition is a community-based organization that defends Sikh civil rights. It is a non-profit organization which was born in the aftermath of bigotry, violence and discrimination against the New York City’s Sikh population following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001...
, the Japanese American Citizens League
Japanese American Citizens League
The was formed in 1929 to protect the rights of Japanese Americans from the state and federal governments. It fought for civil rights for Japanese Americans, assisted those in internment camps during World War II, and led a successful campaign for redress for internment from the U.S...
and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in signing a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner
John Boehner
John Andrew Boehner is the 61st and current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he is the U.S. Representative from , serving since 1991...
and Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
comparing the hearings to those held by Senator Joe McCarthy in the 1950s and calling them "divisive and wrong", and "an affront to fundamental [American] freedoms"
Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel for the conservative religious organization American Center for Law and Justice
American Center for Law and Justice
The American Center for Law & Justice is a conservative Christian, pro-life group that was founded in 1990 by evangelical Pat Robertson.-History:...
(ACLJ), which opposed the building of the Park 51 mosque, declared his support for King and the hearings, and remarked "This hearing isn’t about profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
— it’s about protecting our homeland."
Frank Gaffney
Frank Gaffney
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. is the founder and president of the American Center for Security Policy, columnist at the Washington Times, blogger at Big Peace and radio host on Secure Freedom Radio....
, Founder and President of the American Center for Security Policy, praised King for holding a hearing "about an issue that has long been deemed politically untouchable", and opined that King had indeed shown there is "a problem of 'extremism' within the American Muslim community."
Several members of Congress, including Republican Representatives Mike Rogers
Mike D. Rogers
Michael Dennis "Mike" Rogers , is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life and education:...
of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh (Illinois politician)
William Joseph "Joe" Walsh is the Republican U.S. Representative for Chicago, Illinois's northwest suburban . He has served in Congress since January 2011 after defeating three-term incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean by a margin of 291 votes in a surprising upset. He received little Republican Party...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, wrote letters showing their support for King's hearings. Rogers wrote that radicalization could happen anywhere in the United States, and thus it is an issue all Americans have to deal with. Walsh added, “Homegrown terrorists are the number one threat facing American families right now, and it would be irresponsible and negligent not to try and identify the causes of their radicalization.”
Comments about Michael Jackson
On July 5, 2009, shortly after the deathDeath of Michael Jackson
On June 25, 2009, American singer Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication after he suffered a respiratory arrest at his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, said he found Jackson in his room, not breathing, but with a faint pulse,...
of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, King made a video statement chiding the media for its coverage of Jackson's death:
Due to the high-profile nature of Jackson's death, King's statement generated national media coverage. In reaction to the controversy, King said, "I believe I'm articulating the views of a great majority of the American people".
Comments about the Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
movement
On October 7, 2011:Committee assignments
King's committee assignments for the 112th United States Congress112th United States Congress
The One Hundred Twelfth United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and will end on January...
are:
- Committee on Homeland SecurityUnited States House Committee on Homeland SecurityThe U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Its responsibilities include U.S...
(Chairman)- As Chair of the full committee, Rep. King may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.
- Permanent Select Committee on IntelligenceUnited States House Permanent Select Committee on IntelligenceThe United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Mike Rogers. It is the primary committee in the U.S...
- Subcommittee on Terrorism, HUMINT, Analysis and Counterintelligence
- United States House Committee on Financial ServicesUnited States House Committee on Financial ServicesThe United States House Committee on Financial Services is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries...
1986 NYS Republican ticket
- Governor: Andrew O'RourkeAndrew O'RourkeAndrew P. O'Rourke is a judge and politician from New York State. A Republican, he served as the County Executive of Westchester County, New York from 1983 to 1998....
- Lieutenant Governor: E. Michael Kavanagh
- Comptroller: Edward Regan
- Attorney General: Peter T. King
- U.S. Senate: Alfonse D'Amato
1992 to 2008
When Democratic Congressman Robert Mrazek announced his short-lived candidacy for Senate against Republican incumbent Alphonse D'Amato in 1992, King ran for the now vacant 3rd Congressional District seat. Despite being outspent 5-to-1, King won 50% to 47%. From 1993-2008, he sometimes faced only token opposition, while in other races, he ran against those who could self-finance their campaigns. Yet, while King would be outspent in those races, he would win by double-digit margins. In 2006, originally Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg was going to run against King but when he dropped out two days after his announcement, fellow legislator Dave MejiasDave Mejias
David L. "Dave" Mejias is an American politician. He was the Democratic candidate for the New York State Senate sixth district seat, which is currently held by 34 year incumbent , until he dropped out of the race due to pending allegations...
ran instead. While many pundits and Long Island’s local newspaper, Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, believed this race would be close due to dissatisfaction with Bush, King defeated Mejias 56 to 44%. King again sought re-election to Congress in 2008. The Democrats fielded 25-year-old newcomer Graham Long in a long-shot bid to defeat King. King won the 2008 election with 64% of the vote.
In the 2008 presidential election, King encouraged candidate John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
to bring up the subject of William Ayers and Ayers' association with Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Speculation of a 2010 Senate campaign
After briefly contemplating running for Governor of New YorkGovernor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
in 2010, King announced that he was seriously thinking of running for the U.S. Senate in a special election for the last two years of the term won in 2006 by Hillary Clinton, who had since been appointed Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
. King had contemplated running for Senate in 2000 against Hillary Clinton, and even created an exploratory committee in 2003 to challenge Chuck Schumer. Both times he ended up deciding against them. King said there would be no primary with former New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
, as the latter would instead opt to throw his support behind King and possibly explore a gubernatorial bid.
When Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand is an attorney and the junior United States Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party...
, the Congresswoman representing New York's 20th congressional district
New York's 20th congressional district
The 20th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in eastern New York. It includes all or parts of Columbia, Dutchess, Delaware, Essex, Greene, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties. It includes the...
in the House
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, was appointed to fill the seat until the special election by Governor David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
, King said he would consider holding off on making a run for the seat: "If he appointed Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is an American author and attorney. She is a member of the influential Kennedy family and the only surviving child of U.S. President John F...
, I was ready to file papers right away because she’s a superstar and you can’t let her build a head of steam – and she was totally unqualified in my perspective. With Kirsten, she’s entitled to be given an opportunity to build a record for the state." However, two days after the Gillibrand pick, King demanded Paterson justify his selection of the congresswoman, saying there were more qualified candidates. In August 2009, King ruled out a senate run; however, in January 2010, he said he was reconsidering a run.
Potential 2012 Senate campaign
King has been speculated as a possible candidate for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Kristen Gillibrand. So far he has said he is keeping his options open.Electoral history
Third party candidates omitted, so percentages may not add up to 100%.| New York's 3rd U.S. Congressional District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| 2010 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
126,142 | 72.0% | |
| Howard Kudler (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
48,963 | 28.0% | ||
| 2008 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
135,648 | 64.02% | |
| Graham Long (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
76,918 | 35.08% | ||
| 2006 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
101,787 | 56.04% | |
| David Mejias (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
79,843 | 43.95% | ||
| 2004 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
171,259 | 62.96% | |
| Blair Mathies (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
100,737 | 37.03% | ||
| 2002 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
121,537 | 71.88% | |
| Stuart Finz (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
46,022 | 27.22% | ||
| 2000 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
143,126 | 59.52% | |
| Dal LaMagna (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
95,787 | 39.84% | ||
| 1998 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
117,258 | 64.29% | |
| Kevin Langberg (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
63,628 | 34.88% | ||
| 1996 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
127,972 | 55.29% | |
| Dal LaMagna (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
97,518 | 42.13% | ||
| 1994 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
115,236 | 59.23% | |
| Norma Grill (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
77,774 | 39.98% | ||
| 1992 | Peter T. King (R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) |
124,727 | 49.56% | |
| Steve Orlins (D Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... ) |
116,915 | 46.46% | ||
Personal life
King resides in Seaford, New YorkSeaford, New York
Seaford is a census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 15,294 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Seaford is located at ....
with his wife, Rosemary King, with whom he has two adult children and one grandson. King has two siblings, Kevin and Barbara. He is an author of three novels that are loosely based on his years in Congress: Terrible Beauty, Deliver Us From Evil, and Vale of Tears.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Pete King official U.S. House site
- Re-Elect Pete King official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
- House Committee on Homeland Security official House Committee on Homeland Security website